EBENEZER–Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Wycliffe Smith is reviewing the information gathered from the Preparatory Secondary Vocational Education (PSVE) section of St. Maarten Academy over the last 10 days and will be preparing a report to be given to the school’s board.
According to Smith’s Chief of Staff Peter Gittens, this report will then be shared with all other relevant stakeholders. Smith met recently with the PSVE teachers to hear their concerns and a second meeting was held with the principal.
“In terms of the meeting, the second meeting was for the principal to respond to the concerns of the teachers. The principal responded by way of a PowerPoint presentation to all concerns that were presented in the first meeting,” Gittens said. “Until the report has been finalised and presented to the board, the minister will not be making any further comments on this matter to the media.”
Smith had decided to meet with parties with the aim of bringing a resolution to the concerns that exist at the school. Some teachers and staffers are dissatisfied with the manner in which principal Lavern Nelson runs the school and the way she treats staffers, and have asked for her to be removed from her position and reassigned. The Foundation for Academic and Vocational Education (FAVE) had said it will not remove the principal and considers the teachers’ complaints frivolous and baseless.
A number of teachers and staffers called in sick for several days during the first week of school reopening, which was believed to be a form of silent protest against the principal.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/80243-smith-to-prepare-report-about-situation-at-psve
View comments
Hide comments